The Pessimist

Time for a follow up on some of the stories ThePessimist has commented on recently.

Canadian Goodwill Mission
The little Afghani boy suffering from face cancer is suffering no more. He died this week, right on schedule, despite some hopeful signs that the cancer might be treatable. A sad ending to be sure; but then, all of Afghanistan is a sad story likely headed for a sad ending.

Hopefully this humanitarian gesture, by the Canadian soldiers and the church folk back in Calgary, will have bought some goodwill with the local villagers. But ThePessimist thinks that is unlikely. Actually, ThePessimist wonders if the grandad who brought the little boy to the Canadian base for help would have even given a rats ass if grandchild had been a granddaughter.

Harper rallies the troops
I was joking about Stephen Harper's planned visit to Afghanistan. But, he managed to pull it off. Just a day or two after denying that there were plans to visit the troops, a surprise visit did come off without a hitch. Harper showed up in Kandahar under a cloak of secrecy. He looked mighty "presidential" addressing the troops and confirming his support for the operation. And unlike Bush, Harper stayed in camp overnight, before making a state visit with Karzai in Kabul.

It looked like Harper was finally turning around the ethics plagued start to his Prime Ministership. But then the second Muslim shit-storm hit the fan. To the total embarrassment of moderate Muslims around the world, the Afghani Sharia law based courts charged Abdul Rahman with the capital crime of converting to Christianity.

Moderate Muslims : Oxymoron ?
The first shit-storm was the world-wide riot protesting the blasphemous cartoon portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed. To the secular/Christian world, this gross overreaction proved the widely held belief that the Muslim world was barbaric, backward, and uncivilized. But after a couple of weeks of rioting, I started noticing Moderate Muslims issuing statements abhorring the violence and suggesting the need to look for balance. They say that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance, and that the riots were the work of a few troublemakers goaded on by a small radical element and allowed by the totalitarian governments as a diversion from their real social problems.

Well, that sounded pretty good didn't it? But then, just as that issue started to fade, the world was made aware that Sharia law requires that converts from Islam must be killed. The Taliban was overthrown, but the new government was powerless to control their radical clerics. And clerics described as moderate by some standard are agitating to kill the apostate even if he is released. And from the reporting I've been seeing, the general Afghani population agrees. "Pull him to pieces until nothing remains of him."

As of yesterday the charge against Rahman was dropped "for lack of evidence". The other face saving out for the Afghani government was to have Rahman declared insane and therefore not fit to stand trial. Nobody in Afghanistan, however, is saying that anybody has the right to convert, renounce, or declaim from Islam. If you are a Muslim, you must always remain a Muslim. How far is that from the Taliban position that everybody must be a devout Muslim, and if you are not Muslim enough (if you cut your hair, miss prayers, listen to music, don't cover your women), then you should be beaten, or worse.

This second shit-storm is even more important that the first. But where is the voice of the moderate Muslims in condemnation of this insular society? Are there any? Or are they just afraid to speak?

So why is it that if God is so all-powerful, so all-knowing, so omnipotent, that he needs our constant attention? Why all the scraping and grovelling? Why must we be required to stone to death, burn at the stake, cut the heads off of, or go to war with those who don't do god's bidding. Why doesn't he just smite them himself? Hmmm?

How is it possible to humiliate such a great and powerful creature, simply by not believing in him, or by eating pork when he told us not to? God must have a really small dick if he is so easily embarrassed.

Take the case of Abdul Rahman. He is the Afghani who 15 years ago converted from Islam to Christianity. Last week he was arrested after being turned in by his family because apostasy is a capital crime under Sharia law. The judge in the case has decided he is guilty and shall be sentenced to death, by hanging apparently, before a word of evidence has been heard. Abdul apparently has no legal representation.

The ensuing outrage by the civilized world has caused the clerics to circle the wagons. World leaders (Rice, Harper, Merkel) have contacted Karzai to express their deepest concern. The citizens of the world who have contributed troops for the liberation of Afghanistan from the Taliban, and aid for reconstruction of the basket case nation, stand aghast. Why did we remove one evil anarchic theocracy to have it replaced with another? But so far, the best proposal is to have Abdul declared insane; Islam apparently not endorsing the execution of the insane. (I've always said that belief in god is a form of brain damage, but that is beside the point.) But dozens of senior clerics in Afghanistan are now lining up to say that Abdul must be put to death. If the government frees him, then the people will kill him themselves. ("Tear him to pieces" is how they actually described it.)

It is obviously the Afghani males that have the small dicks, not their god. It is actually difficult to say which is smallest -- their dicks or their brains. Both are apparently shrunken from centuries of no education besides madras, which uses no book besides the Koran. They treat their women like livestock and experience only the company of men. What need have they of dicks or brains?

The Afghani high court is presently trying one of their citizens for the capital crime of converting to Christianity.

"We will invite him again because the religion of Islam is one of tolerance. We will ask him if he has changed his mind. If so we will forgive him," trial judge Ansarullah Mawlazezadah told the BBC on Monday. "But if he refused to reconvert [he will be put to death]" BBC

Wait a minute. This isn't a pronouncement by some back-water Taliban warlord in the mountains around Kandahar. This is the high court of the official government in Kabul.

Yes, it seems Saria Law makes it a crime for a Muslim to renounce the faith of Islam. (I guess this is the same Sharia law that pronounces that girls may not receive an education; and that anyone providing an education to girls shall be beheaded !)

Would Stephen Harper please remind me why Canadian soldiers are supporting and protecting this government? President Karzai has stated that he will not intervene in this case.

Mr. Karzai has another think coming. If this case goes forward and a conviction and execution ensues, than his government has to be replaced. He has to take immediate action to remove this judge from the bench (or whatever Mullah judges sit on), or he must forego all Western aid and protection.

We live in a pluralist society. We do not care if you believe in this god or that, or no god or lots of gods. But the state cannot be allowed to use its power to coerce one god for all. And our society cannot allow another society to do so either. At least, not one that expects our help and trade. If they want to live in the dark ages, then that is where they should live.

Too bad. So sad. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

For the sarcasm impaired ... no, I'm not at all unhappy that Slobodan is dead. Who could be, really, except for the hard core Serbian nationalists.
I suppose his victims, and the war crimes tribunal aren't entirely pleased that the megalomaniacal bastard has escaped justice. But now he's dead, so God can sort him out.

All that remains to be decided is the disposition of his body. I think that he should be disposed of like Hitler was -- cremated and discarded in an undisclosed location. The world doesn't need a shrine to inspire future dreamers of a Greater Serbia. However, why anybody would follow the path set down by Fearless Leader is beyond comprehension. Every time he raised his ugly little pecker-head, more people died and Serbia lost another province.